Chapter 5

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The ambulance came and Saskia calmly got in after summoning Countess from the depths of the forest. The two paramedics had secured the blade so it wouldn't move as they made Saskia lay down and checked her vitals. They were quite surprised by how calm she was in answering all of their questions. When they got to John Hopkins Hospital, they rushed her in.

Forty minutes later, the doctor was still accessing the damage made. She had time to call Jack to tell him that she had been stabbed. There was a police officer standing outside her room because she had told them who she was and what, mainly, happened.

Saskia had been careful to not touch anything with her other hand, the non injured arm had traces of Leroy's DNA under her nails.

"Hiya, Jack, Hannibal," Saskia was laying down in the bed. Her fleece had to be cut off of her to gain access to the wound, as did the strap of her sports bra so she just laid with the bright blue sports bra and leggings on. The knife was still there, deep within her shoulder.

"Saskia." Hannibal said in shock as he took in her appearance, mainly focusing on the stabilised wound on her shoulder. "I'm quite surprised you're conscious."

"As am I," The doctor, Doctor M Bundy by his name tag, said. "She came in with the ambulance and refused to speak of what happened for this to occur, insisting we get a guard at her door and a private room. I presume it's to do with the Miscreant Killer case so I allowed it. She's refused pain medication."

"I've got Leroy's DNA under my nails," She lifted her right hand, wiggling her fingers with a playful grin. "He stabbed me when I refused to go with him. He wasn't wearing gloves so his fingerprints might be on the knife too. Countess bit him on the shoulder too."

Her eyes went from the blade to the three men.

"So," She began again, turning her head carefully to face the doctor. "What's gonna happen? I want this thing out of me."

"Well, we'll have to do surgery to get the blade out carefully and then see what damage has been caused,"

"Cool," Saskia mumbled. "That means I'll need a nail taking off, right doctor? My nails are far too long for those heartmoniters."

"Yes," he said after taking a look at her hand. "You'll need to have a nail removed, or really just cut down, before the surgery begins. I'll be back in half an hour to take you up."

Doctor Bundy left without a word, nodding to Jack and Hannibal as he walked out.

"What happened?" Jack asked, bringing a chair to the side of her bed.

Saskia exhaled loudly before a small laugh erupted from her chest, paining her shoulder but she ignored it. Hannibal looked to the IV that was giving her fluids and blood. When he reached for it, Saskia stopped him.

"I don't need pain meds," She said, almost begging him to leave it alone. "I prefer to be lucid. Thank you though, Hannibal."

"Not a problem," He stood behind Jack before looking at his watch and then to Countess who laid in the corner of the room, watching them all.

"I went running, I was full of adrenaline, and frustration because we're getting nowhere with the case, and strong rage at Leroy for killing Mia," Saskia gulped, her throat dry as she forced her words forward, manipulating them as needed. "I sat on a bench in the forest, I needed the peace that fresh air gave. I knew I was being watched and when I heard his footsteps, I knew it was him."

"How did you know?"

"His limp. He got it when he was eighteen in a fight, he's had it since. Since I knew it was him, I foolishly asked him to sit down. We spoke for a few moments, I even asked if he was the one doing the killing. He confirmed it. He asked me to come with him, make us infamous with each new kill he did. I refused and he pulled a knife," Saskia's voice was full of emotion and quivered at the right moments. She gestured to her shoulder. "I slashed his face with my nails and he got angry, stabbing me in the shoulder before Countess could get him. She chased him away as I called the ambulance, and here we are."

"I'll have an alert out for anyone with facial cuts and dog bites on shoulders in hospitals," Jack muttered as he got up and began to make a few calls. He left the room as he began, not wanting to disturb Saskia more than she already was by her injury.

Hannibal took his seat, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat down. His eyes roamed Saskia's as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been stabbed. How do you think I'm feeling?" Saskia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I just want to get out of here already, and not get an infection from this fucking knife."

"How are you mentally?"

"Patient confidentiality?" She asked and continued when he nodded. She ran her tongue across her canine. "I'm ready to kill that bastard myself. He threatened me and I acted accordingly, and I'm not sorry for it. I watched Countess begin to chase him and it felt somehow right, letting her have the thrill of hunting him. How long do you think i'll be in here?"

"I'd say a week,"

Saskia groaned, moving her neck a bit as it turned stiff. "I'll need to get someone to look after Countess. I doubt the staff would appreciate her lounging around here."

"I can take her," Will's voice came from the doorway after the security guard saw his badge. He looked as usual, slightly sleep deprived but overall alert and awake. "I've taken Abigail back to Port Haven, Hannibal."

"Good. Thank you, Will," Hannibal said as he stood up.

"How, er, how are you holding up?"

"I've been stabbed, not stunned," Saskia smiled to show that she was fine. "I think I skipped shock and went straight to adrenaline rush and meltdown. I spent a good ten minutes crying earlier, so I'm good now."

"Good, good," Will said, averting his gaze to the wound on her shoulder. It had stopped bleeding a while ago, now the blood around it had dried slightly and her clothes were stained.

Saskia just knew he wanted to look at it closer, his detective instincts taking over. "You can come and look at it, Will. It can't get any worse than this. They've said that it missed everything critical but the pain receptors might have been damaged. They won't know until they go in."

"Deep," He mumbled after walking to the other side of the bed, standing right before her shoulder. "How long was the blade?"

"Three, four inches? Straight back knife," Saskia said.

"It's a clean cut. Was it done within a single movement?"

"Yeah, he stepped forward and brought it down at an angle,"

"Quick and clean, meant to harm and allow him to leave. He didn't want to kill you, if he did—"

"He would have gone for my throat. Rather the shoulder than the throat."

A nurse came in at that moment, her face showed shock at the words that escaped Saskia's mouth at that moment. She blinked but relaxed when Saskia smiled. The nurse asked both men to leave, she needed to get Saskia ready for surgery and so needed privacy.

The woman had to get another nurse in, to keep Saskia stable as they cut the sports bra down the side. She was covered with a piece of cloth for modesty as they helped take off her leggings. Saskia had already removed her shoes before she had laid down in the bed.

"Thank you for taking Countess, Will," Saskia said after they were allowed back in when Saskia was dressed in the flimsy gown. It had to be tucked so it didn't touch her shoulder, so it looked fairly strange. "Don't let her fool you into feeding her like a queen, she eats anything and everything. If she wanders, she will come back."

"It's time," Doctor Bundy said from the door. "You'll have to excuse us, gentlemen. Someone needs to get that knife out of the fair lady before she swears at another patient for coming in to pet the dog. Can one of you take the dog to the waiting area if you're staying?"

Hannibal and Will shared a look. Saskia had never seen Will look anyone in the eyes before, this had been the first time she had ever witnessed it. The glints in their eyes were too similar, almost like they shared thoughts for a moment.

Will nodded. "I'll stay so you can see Countess when you wake up."

"Thank you, Will," A duo of nurses came in and began to wheel her out. She used her good hand and pointed at Countess who sat by Will's feet, calling back, "You, be good and look after my ring. I'll see you both when I wake up."

The ring in question was pure silver with two dozen, tiny sapphires sat in a silver band. The doctor had said to remove all removal jewelry, and that was the only piece she never took off unless she absolutely had to.

The gown had been removed and replaced by a strip of fabric over her chest. She had already removed her fake nail so the heartbeat monitor was on her right pointer finger. Her hair was pulled into a flimsy medical net hat. The mask was put on and she was asked to count from ten.

She was asleep by seven.

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A complication in the middle of the normal two hour surgery turned it into a six hour surgery trying to keep the arm active and alive. She had begun to bleed out too much after the blade had been removed. It took time, and a lot of blood, to fix the cut on one of the veins. They had to bring another doctor in when the surgery went slightly downhill, they couldn't lose her and she refused to die.

Even unconscious, Saskia Alasite refused to allow herself to die on that operating table. Her mind was strong enough to hold off the body's natural response to losing too much blood, it knew it would receive the amount needed to live. It forced a small amount of adrenaline into her bloodstream, especially when the doctors added two blood bags to the IV in her arm.

After the fourth hour, she was stable and they were able to start to actually fix the small amount of original damage.

It took a slow hour of suturing, and then they needed to sew the muscle that was cut. When they got to the skin, they had to use metal staples to close the wound completely before they decided she was stable.

The first thing she knew was true was the weight on her legs. Warm, heavy weight. Her head was fuzzy like it was full of cotton balls and she was underwater at the same time. She didn't like this. She felt vulnerable.

She heard light snoring when she regained her hearing. The lights were too harsh for her to open her eyes. Her mouth was dry and, in general, she felt yucky. There was no other word for the tiredness and nausea she felt.

"Fuc—" she tried to say, her throat sore. She could almost taste the air they had used on her.

"You're finally awake," She heard a voice that was full of slight relief.

She barely opened her eyes, just enough to see that Will had been sleeping in a seat next to the bed. Turning her head, Saskia tried again. "Turn the—the fucking lights off!"

"And that's the first thing you say," He said with a laugh. She heard the rustle of the chair against the floor before a click turned the lights off and she could finally open her eyes.

"Do I still have an arm? Cause I can't feel it," It was true, her whole left shoulder and arm was numb. She didn't even try to move it.

"Yes, you still have an arm, and you will have a scar after," Will said after he sat down again.

"What is a dog doing here?" A woman screeched. Saskia turned her tired gaze to Countess who laid between her legs above the medical blanket. She smiled as Countess' tail began to wag furiously. Countess whimpered slightly, almost whining as Saskia brought up a hand to give her ear a light rub.

"If you so much as touch her," Saskia grinned, a little bit delirious but completely serious as the nurse came into the room. The nurse hummed disapprovingly but said no more when Will flashed his FBI badge. That got anyone to shut up. She turned to the monitor which had Saskia's calm heartbeat and noted it down on her file.

"How do you feel? You've been asleep for longer than we thought you would be," She said.

"Like shit," Saskia still grinned, trying to make the situation better than it was. "My arm's numb but that's probably just pain meds. Get the doctor, I want to know how it went."

"You called?" Doctor Bundy said after he came into the recovery room. "There was a slight complication, you lost too much blood very quickly halfway through. It took awhile but we got that covered. You will have a larger scar because of that but everything should heal perfectly fine. We suggest physical therapy for a few weeks to completely regain mobility."

"When can i go home?"

"I'll check the area at noon and then determine if you can leave. Probably not today, you've been asleep a bit too long and we want to make sure everything is alright."

Will yawned from his seat after the doctor left, he rubbed his palms into his eyes after taking his glasses off.

"Go home, Will. You're tired and I'm completely stable, take the mutt before she growls at another nurse. You probably need to feed your own dogs anyway."

"Yeah, are you sure?"

"I'm confined to this bed until I know the extent of my injury," Saskia blinked a bit more when she realised that the pain was beginning in her shoulder. "I'm not gonna run away."

"Jack's got agents at the door anyway, in case Harris comes to finish you," Will stood up, placing a firm hand on the raised railing of the bed. His knuckles had turned white. "I doubt he'll try to attack you again, at least not within such a short time period. If he wanted you dead, you would be by now."

Saskia didn't want to agree but even she knew it was true. He had plenty of time to try and kill her now, but he decided to hold it off.

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Not even twenty four hours passed since Saskia was left alone in the hospital room, save for medical staff, and Saskia was already getting cabin fever. She wasn't allowed to leave the bed just yet, only to go to the toilet and then she had to be very careful to not strain her shoulder.

She was already sick of it.

The food was disgusting, their selection for non-meat meals was almost limited to sandwiches and poor excuses for salads that had about two tomatoes, a slice of cucumber and a piece of lettuce.

And being forced to wear the ugly gowns just made her feel worse. Her left arm had been bandaged up until the wound could heal a bit more before the doctors could put on a sling, then she could wear what she wanted, within reason.

By the end of the second day, Saskia had become friendly with the two nurses who helped her. There was a daytime and a nighttime shift, but both nurses were pleasant and checked on her regularly.

Saskia was grateful when Alana came to visit.

"I would get up and hug you but if I so much as lift a finger, Nurse Kathy will come for my head," Saskia held her hand out for the coffee Alana had brought, already knowing it was properly made. She paused before she could take a sip. "Has the doctor said I can have caffeine?"

"Yes, I confirmed it with him before I ordered it," Alana sat down after getting the chair, watching Saskia quickly bring it to her lips and greedily drink the hot beverage.

Saskia was now allowed to sit up but she had to recline on the back of the bed. She had already taken a slow acting morphine tablet for her pain, it wouldn't make her sleepy or tired like the fast acting ones did.

"I've not been able to drink instant coffee for years now," Saskia smiled against the rim of the takeaway coffee. It was absolutely gorgeous, perhaps not as good as her own but it did well to appease her desire for energy.

"Why's that?"

"Started drinking coffee at like fourteen, felt like it made me seem more adult. Eventually my step father got a proper coffee machine, the same kind I use at home, and he used to bring a new type of coffee each week. My mother hated the machine, she preferred instant because it was convenient," Saskia almost mumbled.

It had been years since she had actually thought of her family. She hadn't seen hide or hair of any of her sisters or parents since she had left education in later months of her twenty fourth year on earth. After finishing both her Masters, Saskia had decided to start traveling a bit more. She got the travel bug out of her system within three years and then decided to stay in the US to write the book she had always wanted.

She sent cards at each birthday and each Christmas, other than that, the half sisters and mother had no contact with her. Saskia's relationship with her biological parents were strained, her father was no longer in the picture because he had died for his home country of Lithuania when she was barely in her twenties. Her stepdad was the only one she liked to contact, even if her mother disapproved and was jealous.

The strain had been at its peak when Saskia refused to live at home after finishing school. Just because her older sister had done that, but she hadn't gone to further education, did not mean Saskia wanted the same fate.

Saskia was thankful for her foresight to remove her mother as medical emergency contact. She didn't want her to know, else her mother would be on the first plane to Baltimore and would try and force Saskia to come 'home'.

Home.

Home was where Saskia and Countess were.

Together.

Home was where both of them deemed safe for their tiny Pack.

Alana gently patted Saskia's hand as she watched the injured woman's eyes glaze over with a numb sheen. Saskia had detached herself as she had thought of her family, trying to protect herself emotionally and mentally against them. Alana saw this often with childhood abuse victims who saw something that reminded themselves of a trauma. She knew Saskia's past with her family, being the middle child was difficult when the eldest wouldn't behave and the youngest was dubbed the 'golden child'.

Saskia had been the verbal punching bag for her mother's rage. Taking, and taking all the pain and frustration her mother felt with her siblings had caused Saskia to personalise what reaction she allowed herself to show when confronted with someone. If it was her mother, it used to be submission and fear as a child and teen, but as Saskia grew older and more confident, it turned to boredom with her yelling and Saskia never cared after a time of being exposed to the emotional abuse her mother gave out.

If a stranger confronted her, Saskia's reaction flipped to sly words and smug faces. Her reaction was mocking with a hint of unhinged emotions thrown in. if the person became hurt emotionally by her words, that was their problem. Saskia had tough skin after years of building it up, why couldn't they do the same?

Saskia never yelled, or screamed, or threatened harm when confronted when she knew she was in the wrong.

Saskia was not her mother.

The heartbeat monitor became slower, dropping into the low fifties as Saskia's eyes were muted.

"You've detached yourself, haven't you?" Alana carefully said and watched Saskia nod her head faintly. "How are you actually feeling?"

There were no words for what Saskia felt.

"Not numb, definitely detached. Feels like my emotions have been put in a tiny bottle in my chest, like a boulder just sits there, not weighing me down but it lets me know that I'm not emotionally available for the time being. Almost like after I cry, my emotions don't become numb. They're still there, just muted and with a single thought, I could bring all of them forward and overwhelm myself. It's just easier to keep them in the bottle and allow them to slowly resurface instead of just open it like a shaken champagne bottle."

Alana couldn't help but smile inwardly to herself. She wasn't able to get much out of Saskia on a good day, so this was a very great day for Saskia's mental health. It added to the small page Alana had on Saskia's emotional reactions to life.

"Can you unbottle them for me?"

Alana was startled by the harsh stare Saskia gave her. With an almost dead look to them, Saskia's already normally cold eyes turned icy with distaste.

"I am, slowly but I am," Saskia's voice was void of any discernible tone. She sighed. "If I do it all at once, or any quicker than the pace I am doing it now, I will start to cry, or I will lash out, or lash out and then cry."

"You know what is happening to you, it's good. Many people don't know the difference between anger at themselves and anger at others, most times they lash out negatively,"

"You know why I know," Her throat tightened.

"Yes, I do…" Alana had to be careful. She saw the look in Saskia's eyes even if she had looked away. There was a vengeful look in there, just a touch but Alana didn't know if Saskia would act on the impulse.

Saskia sighed, taking a deep breath to not overwhelm herself too soon. She shuffled, stretching her back a little to get rid of the stiffness. "So, Doctor Bundy said I couldn't leave until the end of the week because I don't have anyone at home to help me. By the end of the week I should be healed enough to get by without help."

"Where's Countess? I doubt you'd leave her at home alone,"

"Oh, Will took her. He volunteered and I accepted, I-I don't really…trust anyone else? At least not to look after her."

"Will's good with dogs, he's got half a dozen dogs I think," Alana smiled. It was warm and happy, Saskia noted. "I've got a dog called Applesauce."

Saskia jolted with a slight laugh. Her own smile replicated Alana's. She pursed her lips, "Applesauce?"

"She loves applesauce,"

"Did you just feed her applesauce randomly on the first day, or did you already know?"

"No, she came into my life unexpectedly and I had already made some applesauce for dinner. She begged until I gave her some. She's hooked on the stuff,"

"Same with Countess and soft cheese. God, she used to refuse to eat dry food without it," Saskia fiddled with the blanket over her lap, her smile failing somewhat. "I miss her already. It's only been a day. Since I've got her, I've never been without her. I come home and she is always there. Even if she wanders off, she comes home."

"She knows where home is,"

Saskia grinned, almost like a momma proud of her baby. "Yeah…"

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By the time dinner came on the fourth day, the night nurse, Nurse Davis knocked on the door and startled Saskia from her book. She paid attention instead of having her nose stuck in the novel in hand. Saskia had her arm in a sling to keep her from moving the shoulder unneededly, she wanted to leave as soon as possible so did as the doctor bade.

"You've got a little visitor," Nurse Davis smiled, her cheeks warm with amusement as a furry, not so little, body came in.

"Countess!" Saskia tried to sit up from her reclining position but decided against it, allowing Countess to climb onto the bed and lay her head on her lap. Her whines were painful and it tugged at Saskia's heartstrings as she gave her a ruffle of the fur with one hand.

"You can go in, just make sure she doesn't get up without help," Nurse Davis said to Hannibal who stood by the door, both watching the exchange between the tiny Pack. Nurse Davis sent Saskia a serious look as she said, "She's tried to get out of that bed to get coffee ordered. Something about instant coffee being disgusting. I can't disagree with that. Just make sure she doesn't strain herself if she gets up, Doctor Bundy's order."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Hannibal said. He had taken off his suit jacket and coat, both laid on his arm but he swung the suit jacket across the back of the visitor's chair before sitting down. "How are you feeling?"

Saskia groaned, her hand still in Countess' fur as the dog yawned. "Do you realise how many times people have asked me that? Can you ask me a better question that doesn't make me want to hurl something at the wall? How did you get Countess anyway? I thought she was staying with Will."

"Ah, yes. Countess had found her way to my office," Hannibal clasped his hands together between his parted knees, leaning forward slightly in the chair. "I have already called Will, I believe he'll be here soon enough since he was at the Academy. How have you been holding up? I would presume that it is extremely boring."

"God, you don't realise how bored I am." Saskia tried to sit up with a hand, making Hannibal almost jump forward to help her.

"Careful. If you don't sit up with help, you might rip the staples,"

"Thank you," Saskia said before she began. "I've got nothing to do here! I'm not allowed my laptop because I tried to write and use both of my hands. A big no-no apparently. I can barely hold a novel with this sling—"

Hannibal hummed, his lip quirking up with mirth as she ranted.

"—and I've already read all of my saved books on my phone. I've been forced to write on paper so that isn't too bad, but editing is a pain. The nurses have said I've been a moody, pain in the ass since Countess left."

"Have you? I mean, have you been a pain in the ass?"

"Kinda. They've put me on fast acting pain killers again, and I've been tired all the time but I can't sleep soundly without Countess,"

"The same for Countess," Saskia looked from Hannibal to Will who just leaned on the doorframe with his arms crossed. "Someone decided to have a tantrum when I said she couldn't visit you. Since you said she liked to wander, I let her for the first day. She came back muddy and decided to roll with the other dogs. They, and I, needed a bath after that."

Saskia tried to hold her laughter in when Countess slyly smiled. She couldn't do it for long. It was a hearty laugh that made Countess wag her tail viciously and wiggle further up Saskia's lap with a slight yawn.

"Definitely my dog," Saskia shrugged with her good shoulder. "You're petty, aren't you? Yes, you are! Yes, you are! I can't wait to go home and eat decent food. The selection here is atrocious!"

"I've heard that hospital food is bad, I didn't think that it was that bad," Will admitted as he came into the room fully.

"It is," Her smile remained plastered on until she caught the sadness in Countess' eyes. Saskia reverted back to Lithuanian, "What's wrong, Utėlių?"

She whined and it made Saskia want to whine back.

"We're going home tomorrow, 'Tess. Don't worry, we can curl up on the sofa and watch Downton Abbey again," Saskia mumbled into Countess' fur as the dog lifted her head so her muzzle nestled into her neck. "I'm getting released tomorrow. Jack's sending some agent to take me home because he's paranoid that Leroy would finish me off."

"Good call, but I doubt he'll try anything, he doesn't seem the type to be impulsive. But him attacking you, that was impulsive because he was probably angry,"

"He wasn't angry, he was scared," She interrupted. "I mentioned prison and I knew he was going to hurt me, even Countess knew and attacked him. Has there been any signs of him? Any new victims? There should be another within a day or two."

Will shook his head. "No sign. There's been talk but nothing certain. We've got his DNA, and fingerprints, it seems like this isn't his first crime."

"What was it?" She asked with a slightly shaking breath, she was uncertain if she wanted to know but she had to. "What was his first?"

"When he was twenty, he killed a man in self defense but I've already looked over the file, it didn't look like self defense,"

"So Leroy's an actual seasoned killer," Countess growled, the low vibrating hum made the hairs on Saskia's neck bristle. Besides that, Saskia didn't react and simply shimmied her fingers into her fur to gain some sort of comfort from the conversation. "He didn't tell me that he killed someone, I was dating him at the time I believe."

She was so glad she had broken up with him, she didn't know where she would be if she had stayed with him.

It was silent for a moment before Hannibal began. "Have you heard of the Minnesota Shrike?"

"I have," Saskia nodded quietly. "Why?"

"Well, his daughter, Abigail Hobbs has decided to have a book on her life, how she was a victim and how her father acts have affected her."

"Is Abigail writing it or is someone else?"

"Freddie Lounds has offered," Will interjected with a grim look. "The book would impede on not only Abigail's privacy but Hannibal's and my own as well."

"You don't trust her to write the truth. Understandable. I had to get her to sign a contract and a nondisclosure agreement before I even trusted her with any information." Saskia paused. "Why are you telling me this? What is the point of telling me? You must want me to do something."

"I've told Will."

That little phase made Saskia pause in fear as Will went to close the door fully. She took a breath in to calm herself. Her eyes widened and she became completely alert, all of their movements registered in her mind.

"I've known since Hannibal had spoken to you after the blood in the coffee machine. Hannibal confirmed it for me," Will crossed his arms, looking over the rim of his glasses. "You were always so careful on how you spoke, what information you gave out. Each cut had such aggression that I knew it was personal but you didn't do it, you watched as Harris killed Tyler before transferring him to your house to stage a scene."

"And?" Saskia snapped beforing almost smiling in relief. "Do I look like I care about him dying? No, I don't. Harris was there because I asked him to, he was strong enough to injure Samson but I put the final cut that slowly bled him out before leaving. I never felt so happy as I knew he would be dead and he couldn't hurt me anymore. Am I under arrest then?"

"No. there isn't enough evidence to convict you of anything, even if we both testify. You're helping us catch Harris, aren't you?" Will's tone was almost sarcastic but Saskia nodded as she gritted her teeth. "I could see how much pain you were in by looking at him, you can say that you weren't but I could feel it."

"Fine, you're right about that. Are you trying to black mail me into doing something? What do you want me to do anyway?"

"We want you to offer Abigail a book deal, help her write a book fitting what she wants, and what we want in it too," Hannibal's eyes were dark with a warning that Saskia knew would be acted on.

Saskia blinked, staying silent before bursting out with a laugh. "Is that what you wanted? You could have just asked. Look, I've been following Abigail's story for a while, I'd happily help the girl if she needs it. You just have to convince her to hear me out when I offer it."

"On Thursday, I'm having dinner with Abigail and Miss Lounds as guests," Hannibal said. "Will will also be attending, I presume?"

Will nodded.

"Good. I've already spoken to Abigail and she is willing to speak to you that night, perhaps after dinner at my house. It would be neutral grounds for both of you."

"And Lounds? Why's she attending?"

"Because Abigail wants to use her for the moment, she is very much manipulative, much like yourself,"

Saskia knew Hannibal was flattering her to get his way.

"And you tried to blackmail me so you would know that I would do it," Saskia mumbled with a mocking smile. She reverted to Lithuanian as she turned to Hannibal. "Does he know what happened with the man you fought and killed? And the other? Do you know that I heard everything in your office that day, from the moment he walked in?"

"No, he doesn't. What will you do with that information?"

"Nothing, as long as you convince him to keep quiet about my own." Saskia smiled like she was saying something good and pleasant. "As I'm talking to you, my instincts tell me to run, hide, get away. They do the same when I look at Will. What do yours tell you?"

"Mine tell me to trust that you will do the right thing,"

"The right thing. You do realise that I'm morally grey? The right thing is what I want to do, not what others deem is correct," She sighed. Before turning to both men with a grin. "Of course I'll help. I'll attend the dinner, but I'm a vegetarian."

Why did Hannibal bristle like he was angry when she said that? Her breath hitched an inch but she still smiled as Will nodded along with Hannibal.

Fear was good, fear kept her alive.

Why did she fear him?

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Utėlių = Lice (Used as a term of endearment in my family, especially between older to younger siblings and towards pets)

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